Valley’s new dawn: An era of development and inclusion beckons | The Indian Express

Valley’s new dawn: An era of development and inclusion beckons | The Indian Express

Written by Ravi Shankar Prasad |Updated: August 19, 2019 7:20:05 am

The writer is Union minister for communications and IT.

Valley’s new dawn: An era of development and inclusion beckons

Ravi Shankar Prasad writes: "There was a thinking in New Delhi that if a few families of J&K are handled well, then problems of the entire state will be taken care of. These few families perpetuated their power, indulged in rank corruption and whenever accountability was sought, they took shelter behind Article 370."

Who benefited from Article 370? Obviously, the common people of J&K did not. The Shia community, Gujjars, Bakkarwals, Gaddis, other Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes and people living in Ladakh and Kargil did not get any substantial benefit either. (AP Photo)

Article 370 had to go for the benefit of Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) common people. We need to applaud the courage of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the determination of Home Minister Amit Shah, who ensured that a 70-year-old problem became history in less than 70 days of their assuming office.